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Issues To Be Considered for
Effective Teamwork
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The use of roles
The development of a Code of Cooperation
The use of agendas for planning meetings
The use of minutes to keep a record of
assigned actions
The use of a process check for continuous
improvement
The use of the check for understanding to
make sure everybody is “on the same page”
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Issues to be Considered for
Effective Teamwork
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The use of contact before work to provide
time for non task related discussions
The use of the issue bin to provide time for
discussion of items not in the agenda
The definition of decision-making processes
to be included in the agenda
Development of effective listening skills
Ability to give and take effective constructive
feedback to team members
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Code of Cooperation
Should be developed, adopted, improved or
modified by all team members.
Should always be visible to team members.
Sets a norm for behavior (Code of Ethics for
your team)
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Code of Cooperation
(Example)
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Come to class having read assignment.
Be on time for class and team meetings.
Contribute to team efforts on quizzes
and classes.
Ask questions of our team and profs to
increase understanding of material.
Help teammates understand material
being covered.
Avoid wonder-lust and procrastination.
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Code of Cooperation
(Example)continuation
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Execute team roles to the best of your
ability.
Pay attention in class (make sure
teammates are awake).
Get to know teammates on a more social
level (outside of classroom).
Do not let social activities interfere with
class activities (get priorities straight).
Tactfully inform teammates if they are
breaking the CoC.
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Important Roles
Meeting Coordinator
Coordinates and prepares the agenda
Coordinates time, date and place of
meetings
Make sure all necessary resources are
available for the meetings
Keeper of the Code of Cooperation
Monitors the decision making process
Coordinates process check
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Important Roles
Recorder
The recorder is the team member who is
responsible for making sure that the KEY
decision being made by the team are
documented.
This includes writing down all the important
points of a discussion and preparing the
minutes of a meeting.
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Important Roles
Time Keeper
The time keeper has the responsibility of
keeping the team moving so that they finish
the task at hand.
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Important Roles
Facilitator-Faculty
•Focuses on the team's process more than its product;
•is concerned more with how decisions are made than what
decisions are reached
•Evaluates team task and process performance
•Continually develops personal skills in facilitating, group processes,
and planning.
•Learns a variety of techniques to control digressive, difficult, or
dominating participants, to encourage reluctant participants, and to
resolve conflict among participants.
•Learns when and how to employ these interventions and how to
teach such skills to team members
•Performs traditional faculty functions
Important Roles
Encourager/Gatekeeper
The encourager/gatekeeper has the task of
giving encouragement to all the other team
members.
The encourager/gatekeeper also has the
responsibility of maintaining a balanced
level of participation for all the members.
They will encourage the silent members and
try to hold back the verbose, dominate
members.
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Rules About Roles
Rotate all roles until everybody has
played each role
At this time decide if the Meeting
Coordinator role could be effectively
rotated
All other roles should be rotated
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Agendas
Must be prepared by Meeting
Coordinator
Team must be involved in the planning
of the agenda
Must include roles assignment
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AGENDAS
Issued at least 48 hours before the meeting
Pre-assigned meeting roles
List of important dates and deadlines
Review minutes from previous meeting
Agenda topics (including a time guideline)
 WHAT is the topic to be discussed
 OBJECTIVE of discussion
 PROCESS for discussion
 TIME allocation and LEADER of discussion
Issue Bin
Schedule next meeting
Process Check
Action-Driven Minutes
Issued to team members within 24 hours
Minutes should include:
 Roll Call
 Action Items Generated (What, Who,
When)
 Result of Process Check
 Plan for next meeting including items for
the agenda
Minutes should also include a list of important
dates and “old” actions
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Decision-Discussion
Process
Team must have a process for working
homework, study for exams, work on
design projects, etc.
This process should be defined early in
the semester.
All team members should agree with
the process.
Modifications to the process could be
made during the semester.
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Consensus
an agreed upon decision by all
team members that reflects full
exploration of a decision issue
and does not compromise any
strong convictions or needs ...
often becomes new policy
Adapted from Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Training Materials
Listening Skills
 Stop talking.
 Engage in one conversation at a time.
 Empathize with the person speaking.
 Ask questions.
 Don't interrupt.
 Show interest.
 Concentrate on what is being said.
 Don't jump to conclusions.
 Control your anger.
 React to ideas, not to the speaker.
 Listen for what is not said. Ask questions.
 Share the responsibility for communication.
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Constructive Feedback
is . . .
Communication to a person (or
group) regarding the effect that a
person's behavior has on another
person or on the group
Perceptions, feelings, and
reactions to the message
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How to Give Constructive
Feedback
1. “When you . . .”
2. “I feel . . .”
3. “Because I . .
.”
Start with a “When you . . .”
statement that describes the behavior
without judgment, exaggeration,
labeling, attribution, or motives.
Just state the facts as specifically as
possible.
Tell how their behavior affects you.
If you need more than a word or two
to describe the feeling, it’s probably
just some variation of joy, sorrow,
anger, or fear.
Now say why you are affected that
way. Describe the connection
between the facts you observed and
the feelings they provoke in you.
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How to Give Constructive
Feedback (cont.)
4. (Pause for Discussion)
Let the other person respond.
5. “I would like . . .”
Describe the change you want the other
person to consider ...
6. “Because . . .”
... and why you think the change will
alleviate the problem.
7. “What do you think . . .”
Listen to the other person’s response. Be
prepared to discuss options and reach
consensus on a solution.
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How to Give Constructive
Feedback Example
1. “When you . . .”
“When you are late for team meetings,
2. “I feel . . .”
I get angry ...
3. “Because I . . .”
... because I think it is wasting the time of all the other team
members and we are never able to get through all of the
agenda items.”
4. (Pause for Discussion).......
5. “I would like . . .”
“I would like you to consider finding some way of planning
your schedule that lets you get to these team meetings on
time. “
6. “Because . . .”
“Because that way we can be more productive at the team
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meetings and we can all keep to our tight schedules.”
The Effective Team Meetings
Model
Task
Learning
Decisions
Actions
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Stages of Team Development
There are four basic stages in the
development of an effective team
These are all recurring stages
Awareness by team members is
necessary for the maintenance of good
teamwork
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Stages of Team Development
Forming
This is an ORIENTATION stage
Major Processes: Exchange of information;
increased interdependency; task exploration;
identification of commonalties.
Characteristics: Tentative interactions; polite
discourse; concern over ambiguity; selfdiscourse.
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Stages of Team Development
Storming
This is CONFLICT stage
Major Processes: Disagreement over
procedures; expression of
dissatisfaction; emotional responses;
resistance.
Characteristics: Criticism of people;
poor attendance; hostility; polarization;
coalition forming.
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Stages of Team Development
Norming
This is a COHESION phase
Major Processes: Growth of cohesiveness
and unity; establishment of roles,
standards, and relationships.
Characteristics: Agreement on procedures;
reduction in role ambiguity; increased “wefeeling”.
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Stages of Team Development
Performing
This is a PERFORMANCE stage
Major Processes: Goal achievement;
high task orientation; emphasis on
performance and production.
Characteristics: Effective decision
making; mutual cooperation.
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Ten Common Team
Problems
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Floundering
Overbearing participants
Dominating participants
Reluctant participants
Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts
Rush to accomplishment
Attribution
Discounts and "plops"
Wanderlust: digression and tangents
Feuding members
From Scholtes, Peter R., The Team Handbook, Joiner Associates (1988)